Chapter 1 Ren Xiyao adjusted the wrist guards on her hands…
Ren Xiyao adjusted her wristband; at six in the morning, Seoul already felt like winter. Morning training was underway, bathed in the glow of the rising sun, a gentle autumn breeze blowing. The sun, rising on the horizon, cast long shadows through the leaves overhead.
In early October, the team decided to conduct an exchange program with South Korea. Six athletes, led by Ren Xiyao, were sent to South Korea.
Nineteen years old should have been the age for Ren Xiyao to compete in the Winter Olympics, but a stress fracture in her right leg during summer training caused her to miss the Solo Winter Olympics.
"What are you daydreaming about?" Lin Shan nudged her from behind and whispered mysteriously in her ear, "I heard that the top three in every team test get tickets to a K-pop concert."
Ren Xiyao snapped out of her reverie and glanced at her childhood teammate: "What mischief are you up to now?"
Ren Xiyao's expression was somewhat complicated: "Whatever, just be careful. Besides, the competition hasn't even started yet, why think so much? Let's focus on training." Lin Shan smiled but didn't reply, humming a song beside her. She continued running diligently.
After finishing their morning training, Ren Xiyao and Lin Shan went to the cafeteria together. As the steam from the cafeteria hit them, Ren Xiyao immediately noticed that tall figure. Blue eyes, wheat-colored skin—he stood out among the group of Asian athletes.
“That’s Rita,” Lin Shan explained, following her gaze. “She’s on the team, and I hear she’s really good at the 1500 meters. Foreign teams are generally less strict, and she’s also into extreme sports.” As if sensing their gaze, the other girl suddenly looked up, her sharp eyes slicing through the noisy crowd like a blade. Ren Xiyao nodded. She remembered this girl named Rita.
As the morning's physical training was drawing to a close, she and Rita were assigned to the same group for power cycling. The moment their eyes met, they both saw a fierce competitive spirit in each other's eyes. Almost simultaneously, in perfect unison, they both began pedaling at top speed. After about 15 minutes, they were both exhausted, but neither wanted to stop first. It was the assistant coach who tapped on the bike, saying that was enough. This kind of training couldn't be stopped abruptly. But the assistant coach gave them a way out, and they both slowed down. A new understanding appeared in their eyes as they looked at each other.
As Ren Xiyao was leaving, Rita stopped her and said, "It's a pleasure to meet you. My name is Rita. I've heard that the Chinese team's 500m is a traditional strength. I hope we'll be evenly matched." Ren Xiyao shook Rita's outstretched hand. This tall, white girl wasn't as fierce as she appeared. On the contrary, she was quite easy to get along with. Indeed, in competitive sports, who doesn't crave an evenly matched opponent?
Ren Xiyao curled her lips into a smile and said, "My ambitions go far beyond 500." Their eyes met, revealing the same shared ambition and desire.
"Let's rest for a bit and then do another set!"
A loud and piercing whistle echoed throughout the ice rink. Whispers of complaint rose and fell, spreading to every corner of the rink.
Ren Xiyao has been here for almost a month, and they will have their first test match the day after tomorrow.
Lin Shan's wailing came from behind as she slid down to Ren Xiyao's side with Li Enjing: "I'm really going crazy. I'm exhausted."
Li Enjing smiled and said, "That's how it is with long distances, you'll get used to it." As she spoke, Rita came over from the side, flexing her wrists and saying, "Xiyao seems to be adapting quite well. I heard that the training volume in Russia is very high for all events. Is it helpful?"
Ren Xiyao took a deep breath and said, "There is some difference, mainly because I developed my physical fitness early in Russia. But actually, the interoperability between sports isn't very high, and the smaller muscles trained are different. However, the upper limit of physical fitness can be raised."
Amidst rigorous training, the competition date drew near. Unlike international competitions, the test event was tightly scheduled, and there were no relay races. It was essentially all over in one day. The initial stages of this test event were relatively predictable and easy. However, the real excitement began after two rounds. In the 500m A final, lane 1 was South Korea's Lee Ji-soo, lane 2 was China's Lin Shan, lane 3 was China's Ren Xiyao, lane 4 was Lee Eun-jung, and lane 5 was Jia's Sang Kexi.
Ren Xiyao ultimately won the 500m, battling with Sanks until the final bend. She overtook him from the inside lane, securing first place with a narrow lead. Lee Eun-jung from South Korea came in third. In the final 1000m and 1500m races, Lee Ji-soo won the 1500m. Ren Xiyao made a mistake in the 1000m, falling off the track during the semi-finals and failing to qualify for the finals. Lee Eun-jung took first place in the 1000m. Lin Shan took third in the 1000m. Rita took second in the 1500m, and Ren Xiyao third. Everyone achieved their goals.
Ren Xiyao was alone in the locker room writing her post-match summary when three other people rushed in and dragged her out. Coming to her senses, she quickly asked, "Where are we going?"
Rita suddenly lowered her voice mysteriously: "Tonight I'll show you the real Seoul nightlife."
"Now? Wearing sportswear?" Ren Xiyao's eyes widened. "You should at least have told me beforehand."
Lin Shan, standing to the side, pulled her forcefully and said matter-of-factly, "Isn't that because you've never been interested in these things? So I had no choice but to act first and ask questions later."
Rita tossed her a tube of lipstick: "This is cooler. The ice queen is here, who cares what you wear?"
As she was being forcibly shoved into the taxi, Ren Xiyao struggled, crying, "The coach will kill us if he finds out!"
“Just say it’s a cultural exchange.” Rita put an arm around her shoulder. “Life isn’t just about training, little champion.” She waved her phone in her other hand. “I got an invitation to the hottest nightclub in Gangnam. Besides…” She suddenly leaned close to Ren Xiyao’s ear. “Don’t you want to see what those K-pop stars look like in real life?”
"What are you laughing at?" Lin Shan asked curiously as she leaned closer.
Ren Xiyao rolled down the car window, letting the Seoul night wind fill her chest: "I was thinking, thankfully it was my leg that broke when I fell, not my neck."
A burst of laughter erupted inside the car. The driver, seemingly enjoying the moment, floored the accelerator, and the taxi shot off into the glittering night like an arrow. In the distance, the outline of the Olympic Park, gradually taking shape under construction, stood silently in the moonlight, like a witness.
There was a crowd at the club entrance, but Rita led them straight to the VIP entrance. The security guard glanced at the invitation and respectfully opened the door.
The previously muffled electronic music became crystal clear the moment the door was pushed open. As laser lights swept across the crowd, countless faces, their features indistinct, distorted in the alternating light and shadow. All sorts of people were dancing and socializing. No one noticed the person who had entered; this was a completely different world of revelry from the outside.
Rita pulled them along to a booth. She opened a bottle of soju and said, "Try this first."
Ren Xiyao picked up the glass. This was her first time drinking it. The spiciness of the liquor reminded her of the super strong ginger soup she drank during winter training in Harbin.
Before anyone could say anything, Lin Shan, who had just taken a sip, exclaimed, "This is awful! It's just alcohol diluted with water! Can't we drink anything else?"
"Is your friend a celebrity?" Lee Eun-jung asked curiously, her eyes sparkling in the dim light.
"Behind-the-scenes producer, involved in music arrangement."
Lin Shan joked from the side, "Thanks, dear, your friend is amazing!"
"Are you kidding me? Who would be the nameless nobody I can hang out with?"
"Wow, that's impressive!"
Ren Xiyao and Enjing exchanged a glance. She focused on the list, ignoring the two of them.
Suddenly, the crowd stirred. Screams and applause erupted. Everyone turned to look at the stage.
A man wearing a baseball cap walked onto the stage. He was adjusting the mixer, and as the first heavy beat landed, a strong rhythm filled the entire space. The intense music pushed the atmosphere to a climax.
The face on stage was hidden in the shadow cast by the brim of the hat; only the earring flickered in and out of the lights with the DJ's movements. For some reason, Ren Xiyao found that earring dazzlingly bright, allowing her to clearly see the person on stage.
"That's GD! Kwon Ji-yong!" Lee Eun-jung screamed close to her ear, but was drowned out by the sudden burst of sound. The man's fingertips brushed his lips, beads of sweat trickling down his neck and into the hollow of his collarbone. The cheers from the entire stadium reached a fever pitch as he took off his baseball cap.
As the final note faded, accompanied by applause and cheers from the entire arena, the name G-Dragon could be heard chanted in unison. Kwon Ji-yong removed his baseball cap, revealing a cross drawn under his eye, a perfectly placed embellishment on his exquisite face. He slowly bowed to the four people around him, his gaze abruptly falling in one direction. When Ren Xiyao met his downward gaze, Lee Eun-jung excitedly knocked over a wine glass on the table. The liquid spilled down the edge of the table, onto the sleeve of her white tracksuit. The four of them scrambled to clean up.
Lee Eun-jung, regaining her composure, said, "I'm sorry, I got too excited. Are you alright?"
Ren Xiyao waved her hand and said, "It's okay, it's nothing. You guys have fun, I'm going to the restroom to tidy up."
Compared to the dim lighting inside the nightclub, the restroom corridor was much brighter. From around the corner came the sounds of men and women laughing and joking, a mix of Korean and English that I could barely understand. It temporarily shut out the noise from outside. Ren Xiyao took off her coat and stood under the hand dryer in the restroom. She used tissues to dry her sleeves as the dryer blew on them. The cold winds of Seoul in November could easily catch a cold.
Lost in thought, a long, dark shadow suddenly appeared on the mirrored wall. The gust of air created as they brushed past each other knocked the half-damp tissue from her hand.
"Need any help?" a clear voice called out. Kwon Ji-yong leaned against the glass, a new tissue tucked between his fingers by a silver ring. His gaze shifted slightly upwards, noticing the crystal-encrusted titanium steel necklace around his neck, dazzlingly bright under the lights. Stage makeup remained at the corners of his eyes, but at this moment, all aggression had vanished.
When Ren Xiyao came to her senses, this was the face she saw, delicate yet gentle.
"Thank you," she said, taking the tissue.
Kwon Ji-yong stood to the side, watching her quietly.
"You're not from around here, are you? Is this your first time here?" He broke the silence, his voice soft and gentle.
Ren Xiyao nodded, somewhat reservedly trying her best to answer in fluent Korean, "Yes, it's my first time here. I'm from China." Talking to a stranger made her a little uncomfortable. Her not-so-fluent Korean only amplified this tension, amplifying her senses in the relatively quiet space. She could feel his gaze constantly on her, making her uneasy, yet also strangely reassuring.
Kwon Ji-yong seemed to want to say something more. But a voice called him from outside: "GDxi, come quick, it's time to open the champagne." The two exchanged glances and were momentarily stunned.
Ren Xiyao then smiled and nodded, saying, "Thank you for your help."
Kwon Ji-yong snapped out of his daze and laughed, saying, "Say I'm leaving now. Have fun."
This brief encounter dissipated in the whirring of the dryer. Before disappearing around the corner, Quan Zhilong turned back. He saw the girl's profile, head bowed. Her aloofness and coldness seemed to carry the scent of ice and snow.
A note from the author:
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